Validation and verification of an energy efficiency project is a voluntary compliance assessment activity carried out by a third-party company based on established requirements that vary according to service and project types.
The importance of this service is dictated by current and future economic and environmental conditions, which require companies, both private and public and in every sector, to take strategic actions for rational energy management.
Better management of energy efficiency is part of the goals set by the European Council for the “20-20-20 Plan” in 2007, for which Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency was adopted.
The Energy Efficiency Credits (EEC) instrument fully applies in Italy, as an incentive scheme introduced by the Ministerial Decree of 20/07/04 (for electricity and gas) and confirmed by Italian Legislative Decree No. 102/2014, which offers the opportunity to obtain revenue from the implementation of energy-saving measures.
EECs are issued by the Energy Markets Manager (EMM) in order to certify the consumption reduction achieved through target interventions and energy efficiency projects.
Examples of validation and verification of energy efficiency projects for the issue of EEC are:
RINA is accredited by ACCREDIA for certification of energy management systems, and by UNFCCC as a DOE to conduct validation and verification of CDM projects, including for the energy sector.